Stone Guest research studies

Download Stone Guest

A quiet observer that records without intervening.

This page offers the Stone Guest logging tool's installer packages and setup instructions, independent of any one study. If you were invited to a study, please use the link on the study's own page.

About Stone Guest

Stone Guest is a lightweight input-logging tool. By recording how people interact with their computer during a task, the research aims to understand cognitive and behavioural patterns.

The tool runs quietly in the background while you work. It does not capture your screen, audio, or video.

Download

  • Windows

    Windows 10 / 11 · Python is installed automatically

    Version v1.1 · 2026-10-13 · 1013.9 KB

    ⬇ Download .zip

    SHA-256 checksum
    d19bde0ae2eb9406335ec90ff557021ae071f7a69ca2cb53ead0d3281d71c699

  • macOS

    macOS 11 Big Sur or later · Python is installed automatically

    Version v1.1 · 2026-10-13 · 1014.7 KB

    ⬇ Download .zip

    SHA-256 checksum
    0e87afbcec37c7183ca078d40d1afd1b121a3b41c1251d16a37df6442c50f0ad

  • Linux

    Needs Python 3.10 or later; setup is described in the README

    No package has been published for this system yet.

Use it to check that the file you downloaded is intact.

Setup

Windows setup

  1. Extract the .zip to any folder.
  2. Double-click install_windows.bat and wait for it to finish.
  3. Double-click Run Stone Guest.bat to start a session.
  4. Read and accept the on-screen consent form.
  5. Enter your Participant ID when prompted (first run only).

If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning, click "More info" and then "Run anyway". The tool is unsigned because it is a research prototype.

Each download includes

  • stone_guest.py: the main script
  • Installer script (one double-click setup)
  • Launch shortcut (Run Stone Guest)
  • README with step-by-step instructions

Visual walkthroughs

Installing Stone Guest on macOS: visual walkthrough

Every step is also written out in plain text; the animation is only a visual aid.

  1. Step 1. Locate the downloaded .zip file in your Downloads folder and double-click it to extract it.

  2. Step 2. Open Terminal via Applications, Utilities, Terminal.

  3. Step 3. In Terminal, type bash followed by a space (keep the space!).

  4. Step 4. Drag install_mac.command from Finder into the Terminal window.

  5. Step 5. Press Enter. The installer runs automatically.

Installing Python on macOS: visual walkthrough

Every step is also written out in plain text; the animation is only a visual aid.

  1. Step 1. Open Safari, go to python.org/downloads and download Python.

  2. Step 2. Open the downloaded .pkg file.

  3. Step 3. The installer opens. Click Continue through the Introduction.

  4. Step 4. Read the licence, click Continue, then Agree.

  5. Step 5. Click Install and wait for the installation to complete.

  6. Step 6. Installation complete. Click Close.

  7. Step 7. Run the Install Certificates and Update Shell Profile scripts from Python's folder in Terminal, then check with python3 --version.

Keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl+Alt+P (Windows / Linux)
⌃+⌥+P (macOS)
Pause / resume recording
Ctrl+Alt+X (Windows / Linux)
⌃+⌥+X (macOS)
Stop and save the log

Your rights as a participant

  • Participation is entirely voluntary. You may withdraw at any time, for any reason, without explanation and without any consequences.
  • You can pause recording at any time with the pause shortcut above and resume when ready. Paused time is excluded from the log.
  • You can stop the session permanently at any time with the stop shortcut.
  • Data will be used for academic research purposes only and will not be linked to your name or any identifying information.
  • You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting the researcher.

Data and privacy

What is recorded

  • Keystroke timings
  • Mouse click positions and timings
  • Application focus changes
  • Session start, pause, resume, and stop events

What is never recorded

  • Screen capture, audio, or video
  • Browsing history or file contents
  • Your name or any personal identifier

Whether typed characters, window titles or clipboard snippets are recorded depends on the study's logging profile. The consent form says which applies; if you are unsure, ask the researcher before installing.

All data is saved locally on your computer. Nothing is transmitted automatically. You share log files manually, only when you choose to, through the study's upload page.

After the study: removing Stone Guest

Windows

  1. Stop any running session, or close the terminal window.
  2. Delete the StoneGuest_Windows folder you extracted. This removes all scripts and your local log files.
  3. If Python was installed solely for this study, open Settings, Apps, find Python 3.x, and uninstall it.
  4. No registry entries or hidden files are left behind.

macOS

  1. Stop any running session, or close the Terminal window.
  2. Open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility and remove Stone Guest from the list.
  3. Drag the StoneGuest_macOS folder to the Trash and empty it.
  4. If Python was installed solely for this study, run brew uninstall python in Terminal, or remove the python.org package from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework.

Back up your log files first if you want to keep a personal copy before deleting the folder.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install Python manually?

No. Both installer scripts check for Python automatically and install it if missing. On Windows the installer downloads the official Python 3 package; on macOS it uses Homebrew or the python.org installer.

Can I use my computer normally while Stone Guest is running?

Yes. Stone Guest runs silently in the background and has no visible window after startup. It uses minimal CPU and memory. You can use any application, switch tasks, and work as usual.

What happens if I need to take a break or handle something private?

Use the pause shortcut to pause recording instantly (Ctrl+Alt+P on Windows/Linux, ⌃+⌥+P on macOS). Press the same keys again to resume. Events during a pause are never written to the log.

Where is the log file saved?

Inside the Stone Guest folder you extracted, in a subfolder named logs/. The file is named ParticipantID_SessionNumber_session_log.csv and is a plain text file you can open in Excel or any text editor.

How do I share my log file with the researcher?

You upload the .csv file from the logs/ folder on the study's upload page; the researcher gives you the link. Nothing is sent automatically.

Can I run multiple sessions?

Yes. Each time you launch Stone Guest a new log file is created with an incremented session number (for example P01_001, P01_002). Your Participant ID is saved after the first run and reused automatically.

The name and its origin

El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra
The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest

The play is the earliest fully developed dramatisation of the Don Juan legend: the archetypal seducer who mocks divine justice and is ultimately dragged to hell by the animated stone statue of a man he murdered. The "stone guest" of the title is that statue, an uninvited dinner companion who comes to collect a debt no mortal court could enforce.

The legend has since inspired Mozart's Don Giovanni (1787), Molière's Dom Juan, Pushkin's verse drama, and countless literary retellings. The image of the stone guest, impassive, silent, irresistible, became one of Western literature's most enduring figures of reckoning.

The research tool borrows the name as a quiet metaphor: an unintrusive observer that records without intervening, present but never heard.